Inflatable toy



INFLATABLE TOY Fi-led May 16, 1955 Best Bred.

INVENTOR. HAPPY A? 6M4 BY J /W 2 M ATTORNEY5 Patented Jan. 7,' 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE INFLATABLE TOY Harry R. Gill, Ashland, Ohio pplication May 16,

5 Claims.

This invention relates toinfiatable toys and, as its principal object, aims to provide a novel inflatable toy having a given shape-imparted theretoand which remains hollow and retains 5 such given shape while in a deflated condition.

Another object of the invention is 1301310- vide a novel inflatable toy, which isself-supporting, for the purpose of retaining a definite body shape prior to inflation, and which substantially reassumes such shape upon being deflated.

A further object of the invention'isto provide an inflatable toy, of.-the type formed by dipping, having the wall thereof provided with irregularities which render the .wall self-support ing and enable thetoy to remainhollow and retain its shape while deflated.

It is also an. objectof this invention to provide a dipped inflatable toy, formed to the shape of a given article or thing, and which retains such shape while in a deflated condition, such toy having matter printed thereon-indicative of the article or thing representedby the shape of the toy.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying sheet of drawings, wherein a Figs. 1 to 10 inclusive, are prospective; views showing novel inflatable toys constructed according to my invention to represent various individual articles or things. l

For the purpose of disclosing my invention, more detailed reference will now be made to the accompanying drawing which shows various em'- bodiments of my novel inflatable toy. It will be undersood, of course, that the various embodiments shown in the drawing are by way of illustration only, and that the invention may assume various other shapes or embodiments.

My invention resides in an inflatable toy or balloon, which is formed as a hollow three dimensional body, that is a body having the shape of a given article or thing and which, while in a deflated condition, is self-supporting and retains its hollow condition and maintains its shape in all three dimensions. The wall of my novel inflatable toy is formed by an elastic membrane, such as thin rubber, which stretches as the toy is inflated. The inflating of the toy causes it to lose its definite article shape so that, while inflated, it resembles an ordinary toy balloon, but when deflated it reassumes substantially its original self-supporting hollow condition and definite three dimensional article shape.

My novel inflatable toy may be constructed to 1935, Serial No. 21.732

have the shape of any desired body, article or which, while deflated, remains hollow and has 10' the shape of a shoe. In Fig. .4 I show a toy balloon I5 which in its deflated condition has the shapeof a loaf of bread. Figs. 5 and 6 show, respectively, toy balloons l6 and I1 which remain hollow while deflated and have, respectively, the

shape of a yeast cake and a tobacco pipe. Fig. '7 showsa toy balloon l8 which retains the shape of a dog while the balloon is in a deflated condition. The toy balloons l9 and 20. of Figs. 8 and 9 have, respectively, the shape of a bottle and an ice cream cone. Fig. 10 shows a toy balloon 2] formed to the shape of a duck and which retains such shape while in a deflated condition.

Each of the toy balloons just referred to is provided with an inflating stem or nipple 22 through 25 which air may be forced into the balloon to inflate the same. While the drawing shows the balloons 12 to 2| inclusive in their deflated state, it will be noted that they do not collapse'in the manner of ordinary toy balloons, but remain hollowjand retain the three dimensional shapes of the articles or things which they represent.

As mentioned above, the-wall of my novel inflatable toy or balloon is formed of an elastic membrane, such as thin rubber, and it is characteristic of my invention that the wall of the toy is given the shape or form of the article or thing which it is desired to have the toy represent. For example, in the case of the toy balloon of Fig. 1 of the drawing, the wall of the toyis formed to have the contour and shape of a fish. In forming the wall of the toy to the shape of a given article or thing, the wall may be provided with numerous irregularities corresponding with the irregularities in the shape or contour of the article being represented. These irregularities tend to strengthen the thin wall of the toy balloon and render the same self-supporting, thereby enabling the toy balloon to remain hollow and to retain the given article or body shape while the toy is in the deflated condition. This characteristic also enables the toy balloons to stand upright, without distorting or collapsing under their own weight, and thus to closely resemble the actual articles or things which they represent. In this connection it might be stated that the wall thickness of my novel inflatable article corresponds substantially with the wall thickness heretofore provided in inflatable toy balloons which are produced by dipping, and if my inflatable article were made with a smooth wall, that is, without the irregularities mentioned above, it would collapse when deflated as in the case of ordinary dipped toy balloons.

The novel inflatable article which I have provided is very useful as a toy for the amusement of children, and is also very useful as an advertising medium. As an advertising means the toy balloons can be formed to the shape of the article or thing to be advertised, or to a shape which suggests the thing being advertised. For example, the toy balloon of Fig. 3 represents a shoe, and therefore can be appropriately used for the purpose of advertising the sale of shoes. Similarly, the toy'balloons of Figs. 4 and 5 which represent, respectively, a loaf of bread and a cake of yeast, can be used appropriately to advertise these articles of food.

In connection with the use of my novel toy balloon as an advertising medium, the shape of the article or thing being advertised may be supplemented by information furnished by matter 23 printed on the balloon. The printed matter may be a brand name, alone or in combination with the name of the store or merchant selling the advertised goods. The fact that the toy balloons retain their given shape while in a deflated condition, causes the matter printed thereon to be more prominently and noticeably displayed than would be the case if the balloons assumed a collapsed and wrinkled condition, as in the case of the deflated ordinary toy balloon. V

The toy balloons of my invention may be constructed by any suitable method or apparatus, and may be constructed from any suitable material. For purposes of disclosure of the present invention, it is sufficient to explain that the balloons may be formed on correspondingly shaped clipping forms. As is well understood in the art, the forms may be dipped into a coagulant and then into a rubber solution or latex. This dipping causes a film or membrane of rubber to adhere to the form, and this film or membrane is subsequently stripped from the form as the toy balloon. It will be understood, of course, that in the forming of the toy balloon the surface irregularlties of the dipping form are imparted to the elastic film or membrane, and hence when the toy balloon is stripped from theform it has the shape of the given article or object.

From the foregoing description and the accompanying drawing it will now be seen that I have provided a novel and useful toy and advertising 5 medium in the form of a toy balloon which, while in a deflated condition, remains hollow and retains the shape of a given article or object. It will also be seen that by forming the toy balloon to a given article or object shape it will, in its 10 deflated condition, be self-supporting and capable of retaining the shape initially imparted thereto, but will still be capable of being inflated in the manner of the ordinary toy balloon.

While I have illustrated and described the novel 15 inflatable toy of my invention in a more or less detailed manner, it will be understood, of course, that I do not wish to be limited to details of construction, but regard the invention as including such changes and modifications as come within 20 the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. Aninfiatable toy balloon having a given three dimensional shape imparted thereto during 25 forming, and which remains hollow and retains substantially said given shape in all three dimensions while deflated.

2. An inflatable toy balloon having the wall thereof initially formed with irregularities which imparta definite three dimensional body shape to the wall and render the same self-supporting whereby the balloon remains hollow and retains substantially the definite body shape in all three dimensions when deflated. 35

3. An inflatable toy, of the type formed by dipping, having the wall thereof provided with irregularities which render the wall self-supporting and enable the toy to retain a given three dimensional shape when deflated. 4:0.

4. A dipped inflatable toy having the wall thereof provided with irregularities which impart to the toy a definite three dimensional body shape, the toy being self-supporting so as to remain hollow and retain its shape in all three dimensions 45 when deflated.

5. A dipped inflatable toy formed to the three dimensional shape of a given article or thing and which retains substantially such shape in all three 50 dimensions while in a deflated condition, said toy having matter printed thereon indicative of the article or thing represented by the shape of the toy.

HARRY R. GILL. 

